Autonomic assistance for policy generation

• US 8,386,272 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2003
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kaminsky, David Louis, Ogle, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAJEE-ULLAH, TARIQ S
• Application Number:
  US10/635,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,492 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/230
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for autonomically assisting in the creation of an administrative policy. The method can include detecting a stimuli in a system under study and monitoring a response by a systems administrator to the stimuli. The stimuli and the response can be forwarded to a policy maker suited to analyze the stimuli and the response. Also, the policy maker can be queried for a preferred response to the stimuli. Based upon the preferred response to the stimuli, a policy for responding to the stimuli can be formulated. As such, the policy can be enforced in managing the system under study. Moreover, the policy can be forwarded for future consideration to the systems administrator.

Claims

1. A method for autonomically assisting in the creation of an administrative policy comprising:

detecting a stimuli in a system under study and monitoring a response by a systems administrator to said stimuli;

forwarding said stimuli and said response to a policy maker suited to analyze said stimuli and said response;

querying said policy maker for a preferred response to said stimuli; and

,

formulating a policy for responding to said stimuli based upon said preferred response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enforcing said policy in managing said system under study.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forwarding said policy to said systems administrator.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing said stimuli and response in a data store for subsequent analysis.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the performance of said system under study in respect to said policy; and

, reporting said monitored performance to at least one of said systems administrator and said policy maker.

6. The method of claim 1, where said forwarding step comprises the steps of:

identifying a policy maker among a plurality of policy makers, said identified policy maker having an association with at least one of said system under study, said stimuli and said response; and

,

routing said stimuli and response to said identified policy maker.

7. The method of claim 1, where said forwarding step comprises the steps of:

identifying a policy maker among a plurality of policy makers, said identified policy maker having knowledge of another policy maker among said plurality of policy makers, said another policy maker having an association with at least one of said system under study, said stimuli and said response; and

,

routing said stimuli and response to said identified policy maker, said identified policy maker further routing said stimuli and response to said another policy maker.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said querying step further comprises the step of querying said policy maker for at least one of an identity of a related stimuli, an identity of a related response, and an identity of a related system to which said policy can apply.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the formulating step further comprises formulating said policy additionally based upon said at least one of said identity of said related stimuli, said identity of said related response, and said identity of said related system to which said policy can apply.

10. A machine readable storage device having stored thereon a computer program for autonomically assisting in the creation of an administrative policy, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

detecting a stimuli in a system under study and monitoring a response by a systems administrator to said stimuli;

forwarding said stimuli and said response to a policy maker suited to analyze said stimuli and said response;

querying said policy maker for a preferred response to said stimuli; and

,

formulating a policy for responding to said stimuli based upon said preferred response.

11. The machine readable storage of claim 10, further comprising the step of enforcing said policy in managing said system under study.

12. The machine readable storage of claim 10, further comprising the step of forwarding said policy to said systems administrator.

13. The machine readable storage of claim 10, further comprising the step of storing said stimuli and response in a data store for subsequent analysis.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the performance of said system under study in respect to said policy; and

,

reporting said monitored performance to at least one of said systems administrator and said policy maker.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 10, where said forwarding step comprises the steps of:

identifying a policy maker among a plurality of policy makers, said identified policy maker having an association with at least one of said system under study, said stimuli and said response; and

,

routing said stimuli and response to said identified policy maker.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 10, where said forwarding step comprises the steps of:

identifying a policy maker among a plurality of policy makers, said identified policy maker having knowledge of another policy maker among said plurality of policy makers, said another policy maker having an association with at least one of said system under study, said stimuli and said response; and

,

routing said stimuli and response to said identified policy maker, said identified policy maker further routing said stimuli and response to said another policy maker.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 10, wherein said querying step further comprises the step of querying said policy maker for at least one of an identity of a related stimuli, an identity of a related response, and an identity of a related system to which said policy can apply.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 17, wherein the formulating step further comprises formulating said policy additionally based upon said at least one of said identity of said related stimuli, said identity of said related response, and said identity of said related system to which said policy can apply.